Mistletoe, holly and hooray for the winter solstice

"Visits should be short, like a winter's day."
- Old Farmer's Almanac

We drove into Lewes last Saturday night after the Cape Gazette Christmas party.

"This is the loneliest time of the year," said Becky.

"Why is that?" I said.

"Because it's so dark. And it gets dark so early. It just feels lonely."

"That's why Christmas lights are so welcoming this time of the year. They're cheerful and they're bright, just when we need cheerfulness and brightness."

The good news, in addition to the message of love that comes with the Christmas season, is that this is the week when the days stop getting shorter. According to the Old Farmers Almanac, on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 11:23 a.m. in the mid-Atlantic region, the sun reached its southernmost point in the earth's annual travels around that important orb. That point is otherwise known as the winter solstice and the first day of winter.

On that day, we had an estimated nine hours and 26 minutes of daylight with the sun rising at 7:23 a.m and setting at 4:49 p.m. The rest was darkness.

As you're reading this, the days have once again started lengthening. For thousands of years, people have celebrated this day.

The all-important sun started coming back. It no longer threatened to leave us entirely. And with lengthening days eventually will come increasing temperatures and the spring and rebirth.

Christianity, in its earliest days, seized on this time of year to set the birthdate for Jesus Christ. It has always been a time of renewed hope and optimism, and that matched up well with Christ's teaching. An article on the internet also notes: "It is believed by scholars that the early Christians being persecuted by the Romans moved the celebration of the birth of Christ to the winter solstice since it allowed them to gather in larger groups unnoticed. Christmas has continued to be celebrated during the solstice since this time."

Mistletoe and holly

Now that the trees have lost their leaves, thick bunches of mistletoe are visible. They also have a relationship with the solstice.

Ancients thought mistletoe had magical powers, and it was also thought to have fertility connotations. Early Norsemen brought mistletoe in at Christmastime, and the tradition of grabbing a kiss beneath the mistletoe held sway for centuries. In this time of heightened sensitivity to sexual harassment, articles about office Christmas parties say it's probably a good idea to leave the mistletoe out.

Holly has also had a long association with Christmas and this solstice time of the year. Another article gleaned from the internet notes: "The Druids believed holly's evergreen nature made it sacred, and that it remained green throughout winter to keep the earth beautiful at a time when deciduous trees shed their leaves." It's believed the Irish were the first to make holly wreaths to add decoration to their doors and homes during the holidays. They also felt it brought good luck through the year. Who doesn't like good luck?

Anyway you cut it, days starting to lengthen are worthy of celebration, and enjoying the beauty of nature in our homes – especially red and green holly when the rest of the landscape is dominated by greys and browns – is a wonderful way to lift our spirits when darkness dominates the days.

A final bit of English wisdom: "A fair day in winter is the mother of a storm."

Merry Christmas to all, and remember to spread a little love around.